Scrap Brain Zone
by L-stMemories
Summary: Sonic, Shadow and Silver go on a mission, but Tails wants to tag along. Silver, out of his kindness, accepts his plead, despite how dangerous the mission is, and much to the dismay of Sonic and Shadow. How will the adventure of the three hedgehogs, and now a two-tailed fox-boy, turn out?


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT, CRUCIAL, SIGNIFICANT, SUBSTANTIAL, etc.**

This was my first ever attempt at writing Fanfiction, I think exactly a year ago. I never thought of publishing it until now - I thought I'd give it a try. My approach was very experimental and I tried playing around with language, atmosphere, emotions and various ideas, as opposed to focusing on a concrete storyline. There may well be plotholes and parts that don't make sense (I did go through over and over again trying to make amendments to any glaring incongruences initially after finishing it; it has been some time since I last revisited this story). Also, the characters' personalities may not be what you'd expect (after all, I had zero experience when writing this story - I've only gotten marginally better as of now). For example, I think the characters are all genuinely over-emotional at times, and some parts may even cause - the 'taboo' word comes - feelings of **cringe**. You have been warned, so I'd very much appreciate it if you don't complain about the lack of realism in this story! (:P) Reviews, particularly constructive ones, are highly encouraged! But please, please try not to take it too seriously, as this was never intended to be a serious project itself (but purely for my own indulgence). **If you are looking for 'proper' Fanfiction to read, this probably isn't for you.** And I will likely not be making edits and improvements to this story as I am currently working on other ideas. And school and university applications are getting in the way...! Also, the story is more than 10,000 words...all in one section. I did not consider giving the story chapters, and I probably won't, so please bear with the length!

And, as always, do enjoy if you please.

PS. As per usual, central to my stories, Sonic, Shadow and Silver are brothers. :3 The Enerbeam is a device (oh, God, Boom vibes...) that they use for communication. Most likely got the idea from playing too much Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom on my device.

(I'd be happy to rate this K+, but just in case, I have rated it T.)

* * *

 **SCRAP BRAIN ZONE**

* * *

"Tails, wait! I don't think they'll let you!" shouted Knuckles.

With Sonic in the lead, and Shadow and Silver by his sides, the three hedgehogs were ready to leave the house. But they stopped in their tracks when they turned back to see someone following them. The orange-coloured fox-boy held an open-ended wrench tightly in his left hand, and his two tails floated gently, up and down, in concealed excitement and nervousness.

"Tails? What are you doing?" questioned Sonic; he feared that Tails would respond in the exact same way as what he was thinking, and hastened to finish his sentence, "I'm sorry, bud, but you can't go with us."

Tails's hands dropped to his sides, and his twin tails no longer exhibited the enthusiasm that was so prominently displayed moments ago, but instead drooped loosely. He looked melancholic as a small frown shaped his mouth, "Why not?"

"You…just can't," was all Sonic managed to say.

An expression of disappointment painted the face of the fox-boy. Tails looked into the eyes of the blue hedgehog, hoping for an explanation, but Sonic just returned a gaze of…pity? And it wasn't just Sonic; Shadow also stood there, cross-armed, with a stern, discomforting gaze that bore into him as if he had done something wrong; and Silver's golden orbs multiplied Sonic's pitiful stare by at least tenfold. He had been on quite a few adventures with each of them, especially Sonic. He absolutely loved the thrill, the red-hot gripping sensations that he experienced when adrenaline coursed through his veins. _Those adventures with his involvement had been more than successful, so why was he not allowed to go this time?_

Clenching his wrench even tighter, he asked, trying not to sound too demanding, "Why can't I go? I'll be fine! Like I was last time! Remember? And the time before, and the adventure before _that_ too! And -"

This time, Shadow stepped up. He spoke, a resolute tone of finality in his voice, "This mission we're about to take on is unlike any other that you've been through before. It's better if you stay," and he turned away, "Let's go."

The fox-boy looked yearningly at the receding figures of the hedgehogs as they strode towards the door.

"See, Tails? I told you they wouldn't let you go…" Knuckles jogged up to his slouched body, and said in a casual, carefree manner, somewhat happy to be proven right. Realising he was only aggravating his state of dejection, he added in haste, "don't feel so bad about it, bud."

But before walking out, Silver turned his head and looked back at the poor fox-boy. Instantly, he softened up; Tails's gaze was so determined, so genuine, and above all, so desperate. He stood there, and their eyes met, gold meeting blue. His heart had melted like chocolate in the heat of sympathy.

Seeing that Silver was not by their sides, Sonic and Shadow stopped in their tracks, slightly annoyed.

"Come on, Silver! Let's go!" Sonic shouted impatiently.

"Wait!" he shouted to his brothers, and then to Tails, "Come with us! I'll take care of you whenever you need me to!"

The mouths of the blue and black hedgehogs dropped open in disbelief. They could not comprehend what had just happened, and what the youngest one had just blurted out in such an abrupt fashion. But they were able to feel a slight bit of understanding as they saw Tails, whose entire being lightened up in joviality; a huge grin formed on his face as he launched himself at the silver hedgehog, tackling him with a hug. He comfortably embraced him in return.

"Thank you so much, Silver! You're the best!"

"No problem, Tails!"

"Now, we can go," Shadow stated monotonously, and they walked away without another word - clearly not happy with Silver's rash decision to accept Tails's emotional plead. Silver gave Tails a pat-on-the-back, and they followed the azure and midnight hedgehogs. Tails looked back a last time, and waved happily to Knuckles.

The echidna guardian smiled back and chuckled quietly, "Heh. What a kid."

* * *

"That white hedgehog! What a naïve idiot! So unforgivably reckless and childish!" grumbled Shadow.

"Yeah…Tails shouldn't be with us on this mission," Sonic remarked mindlessly.

"Obviously not!"

After a few minutes of fast-paced walking, the trio - and Tails - had come to a lake. To their right was a narrow path that led into the forest of Green Hill Zone. Sonic announced, "If we continue going, we'll get there. Let's take the path to the right," then, he Spin Dashed into the forest, with Shadow closely following in his wake, leaving Silver and Tails alone within a matter of seconds.

"They're so fast, as usual…" Tails marvelled.

"And we'll be even faster! Climb onto my back - let me carry you!" Silver crouched down, and the fox-boy sat neatly on his shoulders, softly grabbing his quills for support, "We'll fly across the lake. This should be faster than travelling through the thick cluster of trees!" In no time, they were racing with the wind in the air, surrounded by an aqua-coloured aura.

"This is so awesome! I've never been this fast in the air before, not even on my _Tornado_!"

"Cool, right? Let's fly a bit higher!" Silver snatched a brief sideways glance at the fox-boy who was now shouting ecstatically. Tails enjoyed the feeling of the wind, blowing into his face with such force. He gasped in admiration at the stunning scenery. He looked down, at the pure green fields and the lake of ultramarine; and above, at the fluffy, relaxed clouds drifting aimlessly on a vast canvas of blue. This was truly a whole new experience for him. Time passed quickly as Tails immersed himself in his ever-moving surroundings, and an abrupt transformation in the environment indicated that they had arrived at their destination. Tails suddenly felt a pang of regret hit him from the inside; he wanted to turn back home, for they were now standing outside the gates of Scrap Brain Zone. The whole environment was an industrialised playground, with mechanical defences in the most unsuspecting places; the ground was jagged and soulless, with bits of scrap littered everywhere; irregularly-shaped blocks of metal - presumably deserted factories - protruded from the ground, some rivalling the height of skyscrapers; and disgusting fumes stripped suffocated the air of all purity with a dark colour of brown. The mauve water relentlessly gushed out of large cylindrical pipes, lofty and distant, a continuous waterfall of pollution plunging down into spacious pools of poison, unmoving within the stillness of the sunless world. He knew, however, that this was only the exterior; the inside of Eggman's base was by no doubt more dangerous, with life-threatening traps and the most technologically-advanced defence systems. He certainly wasn't expecting something _this_ big.

"Um…Silver?" his voice quivered slightly.

"Tails? What's the matter?"

"I, uh, should've listened to Sonic and Shadow. I don't think I'll be any help in fighting Eggman in his base…"

"Hey, don't think so negatively! This mission might not even involve any fighting if everything works out as planned! You'll be absolutely fine, and we'll all be done with the mission before you know it!" Silver bent down, looking at a nervous Tails in the eye, and gave his little shoulders a soft squeeze.

"But…I don't think I'll be any use to you guys. If anything, I would simply burden you."

"Tails, believe in yourself," said Silver, encouragingly, "Oh, actually, I think you'd be the perfect candidate for this mission."

"Is this why you let me come with you? Or is it because I was…being desperate…?" he asked curiosity, and a guilty frown formed on his face as his voice slightly faltered.

"As Shadow said, this mission _is_ quite different to what you've experienced before. But you're amazingly skilful, Tails, and a great addition to any team! We'll do even better with your help and support!" Silver replied cheerfully, and the fox-boy smiled warmly in return; he loved Silver and the way he boosted his confidence through his optimism. "Oh, look - here they come."

"Here we are," stated Shadow, as he arrived alongside a blur of blue. Both hedgehogs were soiled from rolling in the forest, their fur tainted with faint streaks of damp soil and grass.

"Gosh, my shoes," Sonic complained while dusting his body and frowning at the light brown strokes on his once-pristine shoes. Then, he turned to Silver and Tails, "How'd you guys get here so quickly? And you're not even dirty!"

"We flew across the lake. Sorry," Silver replied, feeling somewhat guilty.

"Heh, no matter. Good for you though," he managed a smile, before looking down in disgust at his footwear again.

Shadow observed his surroundings, and drew the others' attention to their right - an elevated platform that seemed to lead to a hidden entrance to the base, " _That_ is where we're entering: Final Zone, the core of Eggman's hideout."

"B-but what's the mission?" Tails asked, still anxious, as he thought about what Silver had said him earlier: _I think you'd be the perfect candidate for this mission._

"We need to gather some data on some of Eggman's schemes he's plotting at this moment; it could bring us a distinct advantage if we know what he's got in mind," despite being discontent at Tails's involvement in this mission, he nonetheless replied in a nonchalant tone.

He glanced at Silver, who winked, _I told you so_. Gathering data meant hacking into systems, and Tails felt a spark of excitement ignite within him. He was born for this type of job. He nodded happily, wanting to prove his usefulness to the three hedgehogs.

Shadow did an _Enerbeam_ scan, and said, "All security cameras are still on, but the infrared security beams seem to be turned off at this moment; now's a good chance, and be especially cautious in the open area, where you're practically exposed. It's the fastest way, but also the most risky, and we don't have time to waste," he curled into a ball of dark crimson and rolled towards the base, sticking close to the rusty, metallic walls.

"Silver, Tails, don't fly this time; the security cameras might catch you. And don't forget to rendezvous below the entrance to Final Zone," Sonic advised; he looked at Tails especially for a prolonged moment, and said, "Stay safe, buddy."

Silver jumped in, "I'll make sure of that!"

"You too, Silver," nodding, he dashed off, a mere blur of blue amidst the dull landscape of grey.

After a moment, the fox-boy spoke hesitantly, "Uh, I'm not very good at Spin Dashing, nor am I very fast…"

"Don't worry. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Let's go."

Tails took a deep breath; he began to run, and curled himself into a ball of bright orange in a simple somersault movement. His twin tails glided smoothly in the wind. Simultaneously, Silver also reduced himself to a ball, and the two launched off into the distance together. The jagged bits of litter on the floor were like mines in a minefield, and the ground became more and more uneven as they travelled deeper into the Zone; Tails, unaccustomed to the rough terrain, tried to control his stability, but he tripped. He shot out, and landed front first on a pile of scrap material.

Silver stopped dead in his tracks, and no sooner was he couching next to him, his golden irises filled with concern. Tails was clutching his chest in pain; there was a large cut, and several smaller ones, and streaks of blood tainted his front body. His kneecaps were slightly dark in colour, bruised and swollen.

"Silver, I-I think I cut myself." His eyes were agonised and filled with discomfort, "I _really_ shouldn't have come."

"Don't worry," said Silver, who tried to mask his grim concern with a smile of reassurance, "Let's get out of here."

"But…what about the mission?"

"The mission can wait. Your safety is priority -"

 _INTRUDER ALERT. ACTIVATING ALL DEFENCE SYSTEMS._

Red lights began to flash everywhere. Looking around, the two realised in horror that they were in the open. There was nothing to hide against, not even a single block of metal. Shadow's words echoed: _And be especially cautious in the open area, where you're practically exposed._

Silver silently scolded himself. Sometimes, he was just so careless.

* * *

Beneath the entrance to Final Zone, the blue hedgehog tapped his right foot impatiently, while the black one leaned against the wall stiffly, his arms-crossed.

"Where's Silver - and _Tails_?" Sonic complained; he supposed that Tails was dragging Silver down, and felt throughly annoyed.

Shadow was irritated too, for he retorted, "How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

"I wasn't even talking to _you_ , _Faker_! Stop acting so aggressive every time I speak!"

"Who do you think you're talking to, blue hedgehog?!" Shadow could feel his mind and body heat up in vexation. "Your very presence puts me on the verge of madness and insanity -"

"Shut up! I was talking to nobody -"

 _INTRUDER ALERT. ACTIVATING ALL DEFENCE SYSTEMS._

"No! Silver! Tails!" Sonic, without a second thought, bolted away.

"Fool! You don't even know where exactly they are!" Shadow growled in anger.

Suddenly, he realised. The open area.

"Silver the Hedgehog. I'm going to make sure you'll be _very_ sorry for what you've done today," and he followed the blue streak in front of him.

* * *

"Oh, no! They saw us!" Tails panicked. His entire body trembled in fear; either, he would perish here (the thought of it sent chills down his spine), or he would survive and face severe consequences with Sonic and Shadow. If he was lucky, Sonic might forgive him, but Shadow would not. He was terrified of his dark and mysterious demeanour, and he did not want to face his wrath.

"Tails, stop worrying. Right now, I'm going to make sure you're safe, and I mean it!" Silver encouraged a fearful Tails - as a missile whizzed past them. Carrying the fox-boy in his arms, Silver called for his powers; a soft glow of aquamarine surrounded them, and they began to levitate.

"Hold on tight!" He called out, and together, they zoomed towards the entrance - but Eggman's defences became overwhelming, and the air proved to be too dangerous; cannons and turrets fired missiles and bullets in all directions. Silver forced himself to land, and he found himself surrounded by a crowd of Badniks; Crabmeats and Egg Pawns surrounded him on the ground, and Buzz Bombers hovered restlessly just a few metres above.

"Psychic Control!" Silver screamed, and waves of pure psychic energy radiated through the surroundings. Disorientation washed through the zone like a tsunami. Missiles and bullets flew in opposite directions, smashing into each other, causing chains of explosions, and the Badniks attacked each other with lasers.

"Tails, can you climb onto my back? I need my hands to be free to fully harness my psychic powers."

"Yeah - ouch - yeah," Tails squinted at the pains from his wounds, but still managed to climb onto Silver.

"Thanks, buddy. Now, let's keep going."

Silver's ESP did not last long, and soon all the machines regained their robotic consciousness, in pursuit once again.

"That wasn't as effective as I hoped it would be…" he grumbled, and screeched, "Psychic Knife!" Slashing his hands in the air, blades of energy flew towards the approaching Badniks, slicing them cleanly in half.

"Now take this! Psycho Smash!" Missiles, engulfed by a glowing aura of blue, stopped in their tracks, and floated helplessly in the air. No sooner was it tossed into the immense legion of Badniks, creating a massive sea of flames. But the hoard of enemies grew limitlessly, the way a hydra's head grew into two after execution. At this moment, more Badniks closed in from all other directions, and they were trapped.

Silver was not prepared to give up hope. "Psychic Control!" he shouted, and once again, confusion overwhelmed the area, followed by a few Psychic Knives that pierced through a line of Badniks. They collapsed, leaving a clear path to escape.

"Not so quick, Silver the Hedgehog!" a voice boomed from above. It was the Doctor himself, sitting comfortably in his Egg Mobile.

"Eggman!" he exclaimed.

"That's right! You may have messed up my robots, but I can deal with you myself! Not to mention that they will soon recover and aid me in destroying you!" he shrieked with evil laughter as he pressed a button on his control panel.

Silver ran, ignoring the discomfort as Tails tightly clutched his quills, towards the unobstructed cleared path, but recoiled as a tower of grey shot up from the ground right in front of him, followed by another, and another.

"Activate all traps!" The land began to shift, causing a tremor. The white hedgehog crouched, his hands wrapped around his back, embracing the terrified fox-boy. Pillars of metal emerged from the ground, reaching into the rancid sky; some separated into layers of hovering platforms, and attached to those were monstrous traps, all made to annihilate. Saws would leap out at them, hoping to get a bite of their tasty flesh; spike balls tried to smash them into minced meat; and lasers and flame vents would happily roast them for barbecue. The external area of Eggman's base had transformed into a labyrinth; the pollution was too powerful, and the pillars had already reached a height where flying over them was no longer a possibility.

Eggman's malicious voice resonated from above, "I'll leave you to suffer to your doom in this maze filled with traps!" and he flew away, deeper into the ferrous network of paths. They looked around, finding themselves enclosed in a space, confined by cold, unforgiving walls.

"To be honest, sometimes I don't get why Eggman really appears at all. He could've done all this in his control room," Tails stated blankly.

"Yeah. It's probably for show. Drama. All that sort of thing," Silver replied nonchalantly, "You feeling better, Tails?"

"Yeah, the wounds aren't hurting as much as it was."

"That's good to hear."

"Do you think Sonic and Shadow are alright?"

"Yeah, definitely, especially that they're so capable and everything. But we need to get in touch with them!"

"No, wait, Silver!" Tails slid down Silver's back, "I think I can walk - ouch - my knees hurt!" and he fell flat onto the ground.

"Tails!" He gasped, and his eyes drifted to Tails's chest; he jumped back in shock, "Oh - by the name of the Chaos Emeralds - your wounds have enlarged! Now it's _imperative_ we communicate with Sonic and Shadow!" Silver glanced down at his _Enerbeam_ , and began to jab at the screen repeatedly.

"Silver - wait - don't tell them -"

* * *

" _Damn_ that fourth Chaos Emerald! What's with all these pillars?" Shadow cursed; he and Sonic were soon surrounded by massive pillars of steel as well.

"Silver! Tails!" Sonic shouted, hoping to get a response.

"Shut up! They're probably not even around! And you could've activated a bunch of traps!"

"Hey! It was worth a try!"

Shadow turned around, grunting and muttering complaints about Sonic's carefree attitude.

Suddenly, their _Enerbeams_ buzzed gently.

"Look, it's Silver and Tails!" Sonic remarked, an expression of relief on his face.

"Humph. That naïve idiot still has the guts to call, after everything he's done?"

"Shadow, not now. We need to rendezvous as soon as possible," and they both accepted the call, "Silver! Tails! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine -" Came a clear voice through the device.

"Where the hell are you guys?!" Shadow interrupted, his tone urgent.

"Uh…we're not sure -"

"Fool! Where were you when this damn labyrinth popped up from nowhere?"

"We were just at the entrance of the open area -"

Shadow hung up, "That's enough. Let's go."

"Hey, Shadow! I need to know more about what happened to them!"

"Well, _I_ don't!" and he stormed off.

"By the name of that _damn_ fourth Chaos Emerald, Shadow…" Sonic muttered sardonically, and chased up to his brother.

* * *

"He hung up." Silver said, with a hint of uncertainty, "I wonder why he's angry again."

Tails sat where he was, staring straight at his shoes. He was stiff as a stone. Shadow was mad at him. For sure. And that was the least he could expect from him. After all, he had insisted on tagging along, and his childish behaviour had forced Silver to melt and give him permission to do so. "Silver…do you think Shadow is angry at me?"

"No, why would you think that?"

The fox-boy heaved a deep sigh, "It's all my fault."

"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong! Tell me what happened!"

"I really shouldn't have come along. It was _your_ mission, not mine. And now it's worse that I've ruined everything. I'm so selfish -"

Silver walked over, and sat next to Tails, "No, Tails, stop it. No one is blaming you for anything!"

He closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted, and felt a rush of warmth and comfort fuel his body as a furry arm was wrapped around his shoulder. They stayed in that position for several moments, like an older brother comforting his younger brother, "I promise you, Tails; Shadow is in no way mad at you. I think he's probably just mad at Sonic because…you know, what he usually does," and he laughed at his own thoughts. Silently, the fox-boy smiled. He didn't feel all distraught anymore. He leaned closer to Silver's fluffy chest, and quietly thanked him for being there.

Suddenly, their _Enerbeams_ vibrated. Sonic was calling.

"Hey, Sonic!" Silver picked up.

"Hey! Sorry we - Shadow - hung up. Having his usual _mood swings_ again," he stated bluntly. "So, what happened exactly? What's with this maze?"

"Uh…we accidentally exposed ourselves and triggered the alarm," said Silver bitterly, and he added, "I'm _really_ sorry, Sonic."

In the distance, jets of fire erupted amidst the tense, hanging atmosphere.

"Yeah…" Sonic mumbled, and pressed his lips as displeasure coursed through his veins. But he pushed his negative thoughts and feelings aside, and spoke encouragingly, "Don't worry about it. Go on."

"We were ambushed by a bunch of weapons and Eggman's robots. We escaped, and then encountered Eggman - well, _he_ kinda found us - and he pressed a button, which apparently resulted in this."

"I see…on a scale of infinity to infinity, how dramatic was he this time?" Sonic joked dully.

"I'd say infinity," Silver laughed softly to the joke. "Oh. I forgot to mention - no, Tails, he needs to know -"

"Silver, don't! Please don't tell him!" the voice of the fox-boy was frantic.

"Huh?! Tails - what's the matter?!" asked Sonic, his tone urgent.

"N-nothing, Sonic! Everything's fine -"

"No, seriously, Tails! It's absolutely crucial that he needs to know - well, uh, before we were discovered by security measures -"

And the call ended.

"Hello? Tails?! Silver?!" Sonic frowned. Something wasn't quite right. What was Tails trying to hide? He usually openly confided in him. He called again.

 _NO SIGNAL._

Annoyed, he bit his tongue; no signal, now, out of all times? He gazed down the corridor of steel, his emerald orbs glimmering in determination. He ran towards his brother, a bored silhouette of black leaning motionlessly against the wall. Seeing him approach, he stood up, "What is it?"

"Shadow. We need to find them. Now."

* * *

"Tails! Why did you hang up?! They _need_ to know!"

"No, they…can't," he replied feebly.

"Why not? Okay, Tails, listen," Silver started, "I'm trying to help -"

"You're not helping anybody by telling them I'm hurt!" he exploded, a sudden paroxysm of rage. "It's not the least bit helpful! They would be absolutely furious! You'd just end up causing more and more trouble for others…" but his voice faltered as he finished, and he felt his mouth go numb and dry in regret. Forebodingly, he lifted up his head, and looked with dread into the orbs of gold, wide with shock.

The white hedgehog stared at him in disbelief, speechless. He felt wronged, his good intentions dismissed so precipitately. Compressed lips twisted into a frown, and fists balled, he, too, was instantly angered. Taking a few steps back, he yelled, words laced with harshness, "Fine! If you don't want my help, just say it! Don't keep it to yourself! Go and find your _own_ way out!"

Stunned by Silver's blunt and unequivocal retort, his eyes began to heat up, and tears of fright and guilt swelled up his eyes. He didn't mean to insult Silver's genuine kindness; all he wanted was to pronounce his inner guilt and anxiety, and draw sympathy from him. Instead, he had provoked and enraged his devoted protector, and waves of remorse washed over his heavy heart. "I'm sorry, S-silver," he stammered, crying.

"Humph," the unhappy ivory-coloured male grunted indifferently, body tense and arms crossed, "There's nothing to be sorry about. After all, it's not _your_ fault that you don't want my help!"

And all was silent, except for the occasional rumbling of buzz saws and eruptions of fire in the distance. But the longer Silver listened to the unnerving silence, the more he couldn't bear it. He snatched a brief glance at the teary fox-boy, and feelings of pity dispelled the tension holding his fibres together. His arms uncrossed itself, and he slowly approached him, reaching out to envelop him in a friendly embrace.

"Tails, I'm sorry. I'm awfully sorry for being so harsh and direct at you just now," He began, "I know you're quite stressed, and you've been through a lot. I promise we'll definitely find our way out of here," he said, glowing with optimism. "Look on the bright side. The situation isn't nearly as bad as it could've been. We were able to get in touch with Sonic and Shadow, and confirm that they're both alright. In no time, we'll all make it out of here together!"

Tails nodded, still terribly ashamed for drawing so much attention and sympathy from Silver, who received almost none himself. He buried his head in Silver's fleecy chest, and childishly held Silver's hands in his own, giving them a good squeeze to show his appreciation and thankfulness. Silver smiled in return, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and ruffled his head softly.

* * *

Sonic has been tapping the _DIAL_ icon on his _Enerbeam_ for the past ten minutes. He was repeatedly washing himself in an emotional shower of frustration and helplessness as the device continually displayed _NO SIGNAL_.

" _Faker_! Walk faster! Stop fiddling with that piece of trash on your wrist!" Shadow scoffed.

"Cut it out, Shadow! I'm trying to figure something out!"

"Well, someone's _too slow_ at figuring something out, huh?!"

"Grrr…give me a break!"

"Blue hedgehog. I'm going to make sure you _break_ \- oh, by the name of the Chaos Emeralds!"

A circular saw shot straight up, right in front of them, and then dropped back into the ground.

"Curse you, Eggman!" Shadow raged through gritted teeth.

"Shadow, are you alright?!" Sonic ran up to him and asked.

"I'm fine!" Immediately dismissing Sonic's concern for him, he walked on. Sonic continued to trudge at a slower pace, still persistently pressing _DIAL_ -

And it finally went through.

* * *

"Sonic?"

"Silver! Tails! Tell me what happened!"

Tails swallowed hard; he didn't know what type of reaction to expect from Sonic, "I…injured myself."

"Tell me about it," Sonic said, his tone low and dead serious.

"I…was Spin Dashing, but the ground was quite uneven, so I tripped, and landed front first into a pile of scrap material. It gave me many cuts on my chest, and my knees are bruised as well…"

Sonic didn't know what to say. Hearing about his young buddy getting hurt was not something he took lightly. He bit so hard that marks formed on his lower lips, and suddenly, he directed his attention to Silver, "Silver! Didn't you say you were the one to protect him?!"

"Huh? Y-yes -"

"Then why did he get hurt?!" He was getting more and more outraged; his blood churned like lava, violently agitated; and his green irises were filled with distress - he didn't even know why he was mad _at Silver_ \- he didn't even know why he was _mad_ \- but he felt the need to be furious, at _someone_. He clenched his hands into tight balls, his knuckles clearly visible even on his gloves.

"H-huh? What - I don't -"

"Silver!" he howled, "Answer the _damn_ question!"

Silver did not speak. He was too stunned at Sonic's sudden outburst. Instead, Tails spoke up, "Sonic! It's not his fault -"

"He was the one who was so foolish and inconsiderate to let you on this mission! He was the one who took full responsibility to take care of you! And now you're hurt - it clearly _is_ his fault!"

"No, don't blame Silver -"

"Tails, shut your mouth! Stop trying to defend the pathetic moron who got you into this hell of a mess!"

And he fell silent too.

But Sonic demanded an answer. "Silver the Hedgehog. ANSWER ME _NOW_!"

Silver looked down, clutching his chest. He couldn't breathe, and felt as if his internal body had become an airless vacuum devoid of all, his insides being squeezed with the utmost pressure; his golden relics have lost its flare of optimism and curiosity, and all that remained was a remorseful hue of dull yellow. His whole being felt so dehydrated, so shrivelled, that he could not shed a single tear. He opened his mouth - it was dry - and his voice was hollow and merely a whisper, "I guess you're right. It _is_ my fault," and hung up.

Tails looked at the blank hedgehog in horror, "S-silver…he didn't mean it, I'm sure."

Silver merely shook his head, in slow motion. All the liveliness was depleted from his soul by Sonic's unsympathetic words.

 _Foolish. Inconsiderate. Pathetic._

"And _I_ don't blame you! I want to thank you for everything -"

He weakly raised a hand, and that was enough to hush the horrified fox-boy.

"Sonic is right. I _am_ a foolish, inconsiderate and pathetic _moron_."

* * *

"Damn it!" spat Sonic, "He hung up! Shadow!"

"Don't you dare complain to me; I already told you that hopeless fool of a hedgehog would ruin the entire situation."

"Grrr…can't you just listen for once?! Tails is hurt!"

 _So is Silver._

"I _know_. And it's entirely the fault of the white hedgehog!"

"It's absolutely imperative that we rendezvous with them now!"

"Silver the Hedgehog. Prepare for your doom," muttered Shadow, words of finality laced with poison.

One by one, they hopped onto the consecutive floating platforms, destroying the few incoming Badniks with a simple Spin Attack. Lasers and bullets launched themselves at the hedgehogs, and they swiftly jumped over the incoming projectiles. Weaving in between saws and spike balls, they continued dashing, until Sonic abruptly came to a standstill in his tracks - "HOLY CHAOS EMERALDS!"

" _Faker_! What are you doing?"

"Water! _P-purple_ water!"

The black hedgehog sighed a growl, and lifted his hand to his face. "Stop being such an incompetent loser and try facing your fears, or risk your much-deserved death!" with this, Shadow pointed to the left; in the distance was a narrow alleyway decorated with the most ornate traps of saws, spike balls, lasers and flame vents, arranged in a flawlessly symmetrical fashion.

"The left path it is!" and he sped off, not wanting to feel the presence of the toxic-coloured pool of water for any longer.

"Coward! I don't want to die, you know!" he raged.

"Neither do I, Shadow!" He shouted from the distance.

"Grrr…what a useless, inept fool of a hedgehog!" he growled, through gritted teeth, and sprinted to follow the trail of blue.

Sonic stopped again before entering the alley of traps. Blasts of fire would shoot out from the vents every few seconds, amidst the lasers that would do the same; saws, attached to the walls, gyrated continuously and rapidly, beckoning for the hedgehogs to advance, and spike balls swung lethargically in a circular motion.

"This is more complicated than I thought…" he murmured quietly to himself.

But not quiet enough for Shadow to hear, "Then just go into the _damn_ water!"

"To hell with that!" Sonic screamed, and leaped into the narrow passage, scarcely avoiding an eruption of fire. Shadow followed in his wake, occasionally muttering words of vivid colour under his breath.

* * *

"Sonic? Shadow?" Tails's sky-blue eyes brightened as he caught a blur of blue and black approaching their direction. He feebly limped into the blue hedgehog's body and gave him a tight hug.

"Tails! I'm so glad you're okay -"

"What happened?!" Tails pushed back in fright; the two hedgehogs' chests were incised with cuts of different sizes; two of Sonic's azure quills were charred, and there was a large vertical gash, deeply vented, on his left leg; a huge patch of skin was bitterly torn from Shadow's right arm, and his chest fur was tainted with streaks of red. Beads of intense perspiration dotted both their foreheads, tricking down their face, and their breaths were shallow but quick.

"We're fine," replied Shadow dismissively, "Only because _someone_ was too scared of water!" He glared coldly at Sonic.

"Hey! The water was _purple_! It was probably poisoned from all the waste and pollution!"

"I will show you the true meaning of _poison_ …"

Ignoring Shadow, he turned to Tails, "Your wounds - are they still hurting?"

"No, they're okay, but I can barely walk…"

"Let me help you…" Sonic's voice trailed off as his gaze hit the untainted fur of the silver hedgehog. His emerald irises hardened, radiating an unspeakable fury, and a grimace formed on his face. Shadow also turned to face the motionless white hedgehog; his ruby orbs darkened, and his gaze was unforgiving.

Silver felt guilty; he could not meet the piercing eyes of his two brothers. Out of the four of them, he was the only one who was physically uninjured.

 _He was also the only one who was emotionally injured._

The atmosphere was tense, and for moments it was as if time itself had frozen as green and red orbs bore endlessly into yellow, blue and black bodies towering over white. Tails looked to his left, then to his right; his sky-blue orbs were overflown with horror. _Why did they have to do this? It wasn't Silver's fault…_

Finally, Shadow slowly approached him, and, breaking the strained silence, he shouted, "Silver!"

His dreadful voice pierced through the white hedgehog's heart. He looked up in foreboding terror, meeting the intense red irises, glaring with a savage fury. His voice was so quiet and monotonous, void of all energy, "I'm really sorry. I'm just a foolish, inconsiderate, pathetic moron -"

"Don't you dare speak one more word," Shadow menacingly towered over him, forcing him to step back, and bore his lethal gaze into the blank eyes of the white hedgehog, who immediately looked back down. "Your rash decisions today have crossed my line. Look at what you've done to Tails!"

"It wasn't me -"

"ENOUGH! You were the one who so recklessly accepted his pitiful plead to come with us," he growled, his fangs clearly visible, "And you're the one to blame for the tragic yet completely avoidable failure of this mission."

 _No, this couldn't be happening._ Tails took a deep breath, and bravely stated, "Shadow - it wasn't Silver's fault," but drew back in fright as he met the sinister glare of the midnight-coloured hedgehog. He snatched a glance at Silver, who has not moved a single limb.

"Tails, don't say anything," whispered Sonic.

"We exposed ourselves to Eggman, thanks to you, Silver the Hedgehog. Now he is well aware of our motives and actions," he hissed venomously, "It's _all your fault_ , and I'll make sure you meet your _doom_." He shoved the furry chest of the ivory-coloured hedgehog, who fell back without a single strain of resistance, and stormed off.

Sonic grabbed Tails's hand, tugging gently but urgently, "Tails, let's go."

"B-but Silver -"

"Don't say anything."

Tails took one last glance at Silver before disappearing round the corner with Sonic and Shadow. His sapphire eyes were teary, dimmed with utter shock and horror. Yet Silver just laid there, in a vegetated manner, paralysed by Sonic's unfeeling gaze, immobilised by Shadow's heart-wrenching words. Sprawled across the floor, his eyes absorbed itself into the putrid brown air above, one hand loosely placed on his stomach. He felt worthless, and he felt as if he was nothing to his brothers.

* * *

They began to walk faster. Tails was limping, holding onto Sonic; he was perplexed, and could not understand why Sonic and Shadow were so malignant towards Silver. Slowly but deliberately, his grip on the arms of the blue hedgehog slipped, and he slumped down onto the ground in a puddle of dismay and anxiety.

"Tails, you okay?" Sonic turned around and stretched out his arm, beckoning for the fox-boy to use as support, but withdrew to his piercing words.

"Don't touch me."

Shadow, having realised that neither Sonic nor Tails continued to trail along, looked back, and shouted impatiently, "Sonic! Tails! What the hell are you guys doing?!"

"Coming!" replied Sonic, and in a state of confusion, he asked the dejected fox-boy, "What's the matter? Let's go - Shadow's waiting."

"You _clearly_ know what the matter is…" His words, though soft, voiced daggers at the puzzled hedgehog, who frowned to his response. _Why was Tails so moody all of a sudden?_

Seeing that the figures of blue and orange still hadn't moved, Shadow uttered a low growl, and ran back in dissatisfaction, yelling, "Come on! We need to get out of this _damn_ place -"

"What do you guys think you're even doing?!" Finally, Tails couldn't bear it anymore. He felt overwhelmed by disgust at their ignorance and attitude towards Silver, who had kindly and selflessly taken care of him in their absence.

Shadow, surprised, stopped in his tracks, and looked at the palpitating fox-boy. He stated, matter-of-factly, "Obviously Sonic and I are taking you back; we need to make sure you're safe. What else do you think -"

"No!" howled an infuriated Tails, his eyes watery and distressed, and his fists clenched. He threw his wrench at an unsuspecting Shadow, barely missing by a centimetre.

"What the hell -" Shadow began in a rising tone of rage.

"Tails, calm down!" shouted Sonic, "I know you've been through a lot -"

"Do you guys have any idea how much _Silver's_ been through?!" the fox-boy cried.

"That foolish, incompetent hedgehog! Why do you even care?!" Shadow raged back, silently baring his fangs, red eyes glowing in hostility.

"How could you…?!" gasped Tails, trembling with indignation; he could feel his blood raging in a tempest under his skin, "He saved my life! He made me comfortable! He kept me company until you guys came and…and _ruined_ it all! You guys just came over and selfishly drained away all his liveliness! He's your _brother_! Don't you care for him?!"

"It was _him_ who _ruined_ the entire mission! He can find his _own_ way out of this damn labyrinth!"

A dreadful silence lingered. Tails looked at the frenzied eyes of the black hedgehog, possessed by mindless outrage, then at the bewildered gaze of the blue hedgehog, careless and ignorant. Finally, his soft but resolute voice pierced through the stillness of the atmosphere.

"Y-you're _mad_ , Shadow. You're absolutely _insane_ and out of your mind," he did not care about how Shadow would react - this had gone way too far. It was abhorrent how none of them seemed to display any care for Silver.

"Tails! Don't say that!" exclaimed Sonic.

"You too, Sonic. You disgust me. You're both cold-hearted, atrocious _monsters_ incapable of feeling."

Instantly provoked, the azure hedgehog screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?!"

"What do you think?!" his outbursts forced out the tears of frustration that hung fragilely on his eyes.

"Shadow and I are devoting ourselves and risking our lives to get you to safety, and _this_ is how you repay us!"

" _Yes_. _This_ is how I _repay_ you, for heartlessly _neglecting_ your brother, someone who _actually_ devoted himself, who _actually_ risked his life, to protect me. I never thought I would be looking up to two people with hearts of stone and blood as cold as ice," he laughed virulently, "I see how it is. You clearly don't feel anything for your brother."

"Fine!" howled the blue hedgehog, "You can find your own way out of this _damn_ place, just like _him_!" The silhouettes of blue and black turned, beginning to move away, but the fox-boy's words halted them in their tracks and paralysed their entire bodies.

"You'd rather let him _die_ in this revolting place."

Rigidly, the hedgehogs slowly turned back. They opened their mouths, seemingly to retort, but no sound came out; they felt as if a truck had rammed into their bodies. They seemed to have regained their consciousness in this whole situation, and dumbly stood there, petrified, as if their muscles were wrung into thick, inflexible helix fibres. They looked at the embittered fox-boy, whose verbal blow was simply impactful and heart-shattering, and the unfathomable fog of fury that shrouded their logic slowly dispersed. Sonic could feel his whole being heat up with self-loathing, his green orbs reflecting the utmost contrition. Even Shadow softened up; his gaze was fixed on the ground, and his ruby irises dimmed in repentance as he felt the overwhelming tide of guilt try to drown him from inside. They both felt so ashamed of themselves, realising how weak they were, letting mere anger take control of their actions and decisions, forcing their brother to endure all their abhorrent verbal attacks.

"Tails - no - I-I don't want Silver to… _die_ -" the cerulean hedgehog started, but was immediately cut off.

"Yes, you _do_." Tails glared with angry confidence at the two hedgehogs. "What were you even thinking?!"

"No - Tails - listen. I'm sorry. We'll go find him."

"You've finally realised…but I don't think you understand," Tails's tone suddenly became dark, "You now want to find him because you don't want to be blamed for his _death_ , not for _him_ and his wellbeing."

"No - we are -" this time, the ebony hedgehog spoke, but his retort was interrupted, again by Tails.

"Clearly not," and he spoke with a vicious quietness, "You don't even have any feelings left for your brother anymore. The way you hurt Silver…I saw it all."

 _You'd rather let him_ die _in this revolting place._

Those fatal words echoed non-stop in his mind, and he envisioned his brother, alone, dying in this ferrous graveyard. He choked back a sob as a spike of ice drove through his heart. If what Tails said was really true…then he'd go mad, for sure, if he wasn't already mad, diving deeper into a sea of psychosis through the waves of guilt and regret - but only to find and retrieve the treasure that he once cherished, before it had decayed, lost forever in the ever-distant sea of memories. It came to him abruptly that he deeply missed the white furry's golden orbs, his innocent smile, and naïve remarks. "No…I absolutely _do_ care about Silver," his words croaked out of his stiff larynx. Desperate to hear his cheery voice, to feel the unrivalled enthusiasm he always radiated, the black hedgehog repeatedly stabbed the _DIAL_ button on his _Enerbeam_ in a feverish manner, while Sonic shuddered as the lifeless gaze of his brother passed through his mind. The hedgehogs could feel the suspense hanging in the thick air, laid onto their backs, their heartbeats racing with time in anxiety and dread.

Silver did not pick up.

"We're going back _now_ ," after fetching Tails's wrench, they turned around and scurried back as fast as they could. But an unsuspecting surprise put them to a standstill.

* * *

His feet were heavy, trudging on the floor; his shoulders slouched, his arms loosely hanging; his eyes did not move, but stuck to the ponderous floor of metal. He looked like a living corpse, a zombie, a lost identity. Every time he was down, his brothers would be there to comfort him, to reassure him that everything was perfectly fine. _But not this time_ , he thought bitterly to himself, _they'd love to make me feel worse because 'it's all my fault', and I'm totally okay with that_.

He completely submerged himself in emotionless misery, drowning so deep that he could no longer summon the power to kick back up, to exhibit any feeling. He wanted to feel outraged at his brothers, who ignored his wretched state and offered no comfort to his heart, heavy with depression; he wanted to break something - anything - with the power of his mind, to be able to experience just the tiny bit of emotion again; and most of all, he wanted to cry, in the furry arms of his older brothers, to seek their forgiveness and sympathy that he thought he really deserved, but his entire existence had withered, his shrivelled complexion completely devoid of feeling. No tears came out.

His _Enerbeam_ vibrated softly. But his body _refused_ to feel it. His arm was so numb, so powerless, overwhelmed by lethargy and emptiness, and could barely even hang onto his sagging shoulders, let alone lift itself to answer the call.

He continued to drift blankly through the metallic labyrinth, indifferently walking straight through the traps. He no longer had the heart to care for himself, for anyone. He felt no searing waves of pain blaze through his body as a jet of fire engulfed him, as lasers seemingly melted through his body; and he felt no physical agony as his skin was so cruelly shredded open by the saws that leapt onto him with their jagged teeth; he did not groan, or scream, but merely recoiled at the impact of the spike balls that rammed into his soft nuzzle. No sooner was the blood trickling down from his terrifying wounds and swollen bruises of different sizes, leaving red trails that was so reminiscent of atrocity.

 _Now he was both physically and emotionally injured._

Slowly, his knees lost its lifeless motivation, and crumbled; he collapsed forwards, face and body smashing into the unwelcoming concrete terrain. His vision gradually blurred; flames erupted in all directions in close distance, and a spiked ball swung freely in front of him, scarcely missing his fur by centimetres…

And all became dark as he helplessly surrendered to the empty void of unconsciousness.

* * *

A voice of hysteric malevolence boomed from above, "Ambush! Robots, _ATTACK_!" In no time were both sides of the narrow labyrinth pathway filled with Badniks of different sizes, colours and functions, untimely trapping the three creatures who looked up in disbelief. Eggman was floating above them, comfortable in his small cockpit-style aircraft; his striking-brown moustache twitched upwards as an evil smirk formed on his mouth.

"Grrr…" Shadow howled in infuriation, "Chaos Spear -"

"Not a chance, my friend!" the mad scientist pressed a button on his Egg Mobile, and Shadow felt an excruciating pain surge through his veins as the Chaos Energy was drained from his body. The leakage of energy from his body was absolutely electrifying, and Eggman's laughter grew louder as Shadow's body convulsed involuntarily. A visible ray of yellow connected the midnight hedgehog, now surrounded by a mellow, lemon-coloured aura, to an open pipe that was sucking his exerted energy away. He fell backwards, into the arms of Sonic, who rushed over in a light of blue to prevent his brother from smashing into the harsh floor.

"Shadow!"

"I'm fine!" Beads of sweat painted the forehead of the ebony hedgehog, and he was panting heavily, but his eyes were ablaze, burning with utmost determination and indignation, "Chaos Spear!"

"It'll be the same every time!" Eggman pressed the same button, and Shadow felt the same oppressive feeling as his entire body was put into yet another spasm of tormenting agony.

"No!" screamed Sonic, "Stop being so stubborn!"

Once again, he dropped into the ready arms of his brother. His breathing was hard, yet distorted with severe stutters, and the droplets of sweat seemed to form a waterfall on his forehead.

Eggman yelled hysterically, "Now, I shall use this Chaos Energy to power up my robots! _Activate frenzy mode_!"

The Badniks that were closing in slowly suddenly increased their pace. Their eyes glowed a demonic, emotionless red. The hedgehogs ploughed through the endless horde of robots with rapid Spin Attacks, while Tails stood vigilantly on the spot, whacking any enemies that came too close with his wrench.

"Tails!" jeered Eggman, directing his attention at the injured fox-boy, "Think you can keep up with that scrap metal of yours?!"

A bevy of Moto Bugs closed in from all sides. Tails looked up; Sonic and Shadow were gradually getting more distant, lost among the legion of machines. He pressed his lips, and though his knees were flooded with inflaming pain, he was not prepared to give in.

"Yeah, I can! And I'll prove it to you!" he hurled his spanner sideways, and in a boomerang motion it sliced through an entire circle of robots, chopping them cleanly in half as they then exploded into smaller bits. He caught his weapon skilfully as it whizzed back to him, and threw it out again.

"Grrr…you're more pesky than I thought you would be," said Eggman, annoyed, as he fuelled his robots with even more Chaos Energy. "Robots! Show them your true potential!"

"Robots have no potential, Eggman…their capacity is fixed depending on how you build them," muttered Tails, rolling his eyes, deliberately insulting the irritated doctor, "Only through _upgrades_ can their potential increase, something you clearly _can't_ do, seeing how simple-minded your army is!"

"Why, you little creature of impertinence! My creations are far more intelligent and superior compared to your _scrap_! _ATTACK_!"

"I'll prove you wrong!" the fox-boy declared confidently, as more robots advanced towards him. Jabbing his _Enerbeam_ rapidly, his open-ended spanner separated into two halves. Grabbing one part in each hand, he threw them both sideways, destroying another two rings of Moto Bugs as they spun in a circular motion.

Eggman screeched in exasperation, "You're not going to be able to hold on forever!"

In the distance, a blur of blue and black darted swiftly amongst an exploding sea of mechanical red and grey. Briefly, their gazes met, and black nodded to blue. They began to Spin Dash in large circles, and a pulsating electric field was created, surrounding the entire horde of Badniks. Running faster and faster, they whipped up a whirlwind of velocity, feeling their feet barely scrape the grey surface as they seemed to float in speed.

" _ATOMIC STRIKE_!" shouted both hedgehogs, and the field unleashed its electrifying power as they jumped out of its radius. The thunderous explosions caught the attention of the doctor, who swivelled around, dismayed as he faced his mass of his broken robots. The hedgehogs, though fatigued after a consuming co-operative attack, breathing laboriously and showered in beads of perspiration, stood firmly on the ground. The blue one had his hands by his side, and the black one crossed his arms as usual. Meanwhile, the fox-boy was also finishing up as he hurled his spanner, ramming square into the last remaining Badnik that tried to reverse its course of direction and flee.

"Wh-what?! Damn it!" he spat, "I should've enhanced the Lightning resistance of my robots!"

"You should've enhanced _everything_! Even a two-year old could build better robots than you!" sneered Tails.

"Grrr…just you wait! I'll be back -" he was just about to fly away until he almost tumbled out of his aircraft, which jerked with multiple _thuds_ as a certain ball of black rammed into the side, followed by blue.

"No! Sonic! Shadow! You're ruining by beloved Egg Mobile! _STOP IT_!" he shrieked frantically, as he repeatedly poked the buttons on his control panel, hoping to quicken his escape. But the aircraft smashed into the wall, and it crashed into the ground with a cacophonous, metallic _clang_.

Immediately, the doctor hastily scrambled out his fuming sphere of metal, but was violently seized by the collar by a firm, gloved hand.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Shadow seethed.

"Look who's trapped now, _Egghead_!" Sonic jeered venomously.

"Well…I, uh, I am a highly intelligent and studios person, by definition of _Egghead_ -"

"Tell us where the escape is, or I'll make you regret you ever lived," the grasp of the ebony hedgehog tightened on the shivering scientist.

"No! I cannot let you escape! I am so close to you now! I must defeat -" his tone was urgent and crazed, but instantly faltered at the brutal orbs of red that bore into him.

"I will deplete you into a shrivelled, bloodless corpse. You shall feel the eternal pain when I dig my claws into your organs; I will blow your brains out, tear your lungs apart, and shred your heart until it becomes a viscous liquid…you deserve a slow and agonising death; even after death, your entire being shall suffer and perish in a hellhole, your soul rendered to the point where you would have never existed. CHAOS SPEAR -"

"No, Shadow!" Sonic and Eggman said in unison; Sonic then looked at his arch-enemy in utter disgust.

"He's going to tell us the way out, _right_?" His tone was forced through gritted teeth, and he glared at the trembling scientist.

"Left! I mean, yes! I'll tell you the way! Please get off me and leave me alone!" Eggman pleaded. And he proceeded to flood out a list of directions while Shadow still held him by the collar, muttering words of the utmost profanity under his breath.

"…And then you turn left, and another left, and another right, and - boom! - You're out! And don't come back in seven days! I need time to repair my base, and my beloved Egg Mobile! And reset the labyrinth too!" With this, Eggman shook free of the loosening grip on his neck and scurried away, while the land rumbled as towering walls of metal slowly retreated back underground in defeat. They were out in the open again.

The trio looked despairingly into the ever-monotonous distance, their pupils darting left and right in a crazed fashion. Suddenly, a mere speck of dull white seized the fox-boy.

"Silver?!" blurted Tails, desperate.

The hedgehogs traversed the uneven plains of grey at full speed, and zapped over to their lifeless brother. Sonic scooped him up into his crouch, while Shadow stood motionlessly by his side. Their hearts contracted with twisted depression as the blue hedgehog brought the unconscious figure into his chest, feeling the ice-cold cheeks burn his skin. Face to face with the unmoving body of white in his arms, contaminated with streaks of red and blotches of purple, he cried as tears of indescribable horror filled his eyes…

* * *

 **MANY DAYS LATER…**

* * *

Sonic and Shadow woke up. The bloodless scars on their body almost completely faded, though some still stood out on their blue and black bodies. They rushed into Silver's room, to check on him, but they recoiled in shock when they saw an empty bed, unable to comprehend.

"What the hell?! Silver?!" the black hedgehog yelled, and he sprinted out, running around the house and kicking open the door to every room like a madman.

"Shadow! Calm down! He's definitely somewhere in the house!" chasing his frantic brother and grabbing his arm, Sonic shrieked, trying not to sound too anxious.

"You're telling _me_ to _calm down_?! Silver has been unconscious for the past few days! What if some _damn_ thing happened to him?! What if…" his voice ebbed away as chilling thoughts hauntingly filled his mind.

"No," Sonic said resolutely, "he's definitely in the house. We'll find him. I'm sure of it."

"What if…what if he got up and… _left_? Because…because of what we did…" Shadow choked at the last few words.

" _Leave_? Silver wouldn't do that…" his voice slowly trailed off, and bleak sadness filled his eyes. "No, Shadow. Silver _wouldn't_ do that. I'm…sure."

The black hedgehog pressed his lips, while the blue one sighed. Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened, and, standing in the doorway, was a certain silver hedgehog.

"Morning," said a timid voice.

Sonic and Shadow turned their heads so abruptly that their necks cracked, and smiles of reassurance formed on their mouths. Silver's golden orbs widened in trauma as Shadow launched himself into the body of the white hedgehog, tackling him to the marble floor - he uttered a high-pitched groan. Then, picking him up, he wrapped him tightly in his embrace. His mind protested at the idea of crying, but still a tear escaped through his heated eyes, followed by another, and another.

"Sh-shadow! You're…strangling me…!" Silver strained, his face buried in the fuzzy body of his brother.

"Yes, I _am_! And I know you _love_ it," Shadow responded, tightening his hug, two streams of tears still rolling on his face. He chuckled softly as the last silvers of weight on his heart dissipated into relief.

After moments of emptiness, the silence rendered to nothing but tears and gravity, the white hedgehog whimpered in apprehension, "Are you still…m-mad at me?" He heaved his head up, rubbing against the ebony hedgehog's snow-coloured chest fur. Shadow's grunt instantly pulled his muscle fibres taut and rigidified his bones, inducing thoughts of paranoia as a high-pitched sound escaped his throat - _was he still mad at him? Could that be why he was strangling him so tightly?_ Closing his eyes in foreboding and dread, he waited for his brother's words to strike. Hard.

But the blow never came, the impact never felt. Instead, the words, preceded by a long, audible sigh, softly soothed his hanging soul, calmed his beating heart, and released all the tension from his body. He stopped resisting and sank down.

"No, Silver…I never was."

Silver cried silently, leaving trails of tears and snot on black fur. _His brothers weren't mad at him anymore._ Shadow's embrace, though a bit too strong and firm, was so heart-warming and comfortable; he would be perfectly content to stay in this position for all eternity.

Finally, Shadow released his grip on the ivory hedgehog, pulling him up, and turned to Sonic standing on the side, whose trademark smile was tainted with a certain degree of sadness. " _Faker_! Stop being a _vegetable_ and give your brother his much-deserved love and comfort!"

"Shadow, d-don't call him that!" Silver said bravely while snivelling.

"Don't worry, Silver," and Sonic propelled himself into Silver, pushing him to the ground once again. The panting white hedgehog was grabbed up firmly by two gloved hands, and brought into the embrace of a sea of blue fur. "We're _so_ glad to have you back."

"It's g-good…to be…back…!" Silver said breathlessly. The blue one's arms were wrapped even more tightly than the black's.

" _Faker_! What in the name of that _damn_ fourth Chaos Emerald are you doing?!" shouted Shadow, "You're strangling him to death!"

"Says you, _Faker_!" retorted Sonic, as he turned to face the ebony hedgehog.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Sonic ran to the door, followed by both Shadow and Silver, and answered it. Through the doorway stood an orange fox-boy, who carried a large rectangular box, covered in light-grey gift wrapping patterned with white stripes; and behind him was a red echidna.

"Hello, Sonic," he waved, a slightly grim smile on his face, "this is for Silver, give it to him when…he's recovered -" and, upon seeing the white hedgehog, looking refreshed and fine, his gloominess instantly vaporised, and his entire being brightened up in gladness; without a second thought he tossed the box to one side, and tackled him to the ground with a hug, screaming his name in elation. Knuckles dived and caught the present, landing chest first onto the ground with a _thud._

" _SILVER_! I'm so, _so_ happy to see you up again!"

"Ah - hey, Tails! Me too!"

After several moments, after realising that the white hedgehog was sprawled across the floor, ventilating in a heavy and staggered manner, he released his arms and stood up, apologising, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Here -" and went to fetch his present from the echidna, "this is for you - thanks, Knuckles!"

"No problem," he walked in. "Hey, Silver. You're lookin' great!"

"H-hey, Knuckles!" he panted in joy, happy to see another one of his friends.

After handing the box to Silver, Tails said, with all sincerity, "Thank you so much for everything you did for me back in Scrap Brain."

"No need," he replied humbly, "it's what I should have done."

"Silver, why don't you open the present -" suggested Sonic.

" _Faker_!" interrupted Shadow, "Stop disrupting their conversation and give them more time!"

"Hey! Cut it out, _Faker_!" Sonic retaliated.

"Come on, Silver. _Do_ open your present," said Knuckles, who walked to his side and softly clasped his hands on the white furry's shoulders, while his brothers glared at each other silently with a fierce glint of competitiveness in their eyes.

Nodding, Silver excitedly tore open the packaging, his golden eyes glimmering with the purest essence of curiosity. Upon uncovering the lid of the box, a childish grin of euphoria almost tore his face in two. His ecstasy had rendered him speechless, and he stood there, still as a statue, beaming with bliss and mute amazement. Sonic and Shadow cut off their stares and relaxed; everyone smiled at the joy of the ivory-coloured hedgehog, especially Tails, who glowed with pride to the positive reception of his present.

After what seemed like an eternity, a familiar, rapturous smell that came from the kitchen wafted into their nuzzles, summoning everyone back to reality.

"Woah. What a nice smell!" Tails commented in awe, "I wonder what it is."

"Silver, what were you doing back in the kitchen?" asked Shadow.

"Oh, yeah! I, uh, made chilli dogs -"

"Chilli dogs?! I'm starving!" Sonic jumped up, instantly charged with vitality, and announced playfully, "Last one to the chilli dogs is a faker!"

Deliberately flashing a cunning smirk at a certain ebony hedgehog - _You're too slow, Shadow!_ \- who scowled as he received his taunt, he sped off. Shadow followed in his wake with no delay, muttering, "What an irritable nuisance. I'll be sure to show him who's _better_."

"It's hard to imagine how they're always like this," Knuckles stated flatly.

"Yeah…my brothers are _always_ like this. I have to put up with it everyday!" Silver grinned; putting down his gift delicately and replacing the lid of the box, he gestured for Tails and Knuckles to follow, "Let's go have some chilli dogs."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

As mentioned in the **AUTHOR'S NOTE** at the very beginning, this story was very experimental. Reading it over again, I recognise myself that it's slightly weird and eccentric at times, but...

 **Silver** : Congratulations for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed it...I guess?

 **Shadow** : I would like to express my dissatisfaction in my limited role in the story.

 **Sonic** : Yeah - I barely did anything! (Even Tails got a larger portion of the spotlight than me...!)

 **Silver** : *dismissively* I'm sure the Author will give you a more significant role next time...

 **Shadow** : You, white hedgehog, always gets the most attention and sympathy in these stories. You have no right to say anything.

 **Silver** : Hey - just because your role was small compared to mine does not mean you get to be salty! After all, it's not my fault I'm so _perfect_. *metaphorical hairflip*

 **Sonic & Shadow**: *furious glaring*

 **Silver** : *gulp*

Have a good day! :D


End file.
